News

Winters Signs with Panthers

The TC3 softball program has signed its first recruit. Kassandra Winters has signed her NJCAA National Letter of Intent and plans to join the Panthers this fall. A pitcher/infielder from Sayre Area High School in Pennsylvania, she plays her summer ball Southern Tier Smoke.

"Kassandra plays a little bit of everything but we're most excited to add her to our pitching staff," said TC3 Coach Paige Freeman. "When I first met with Kassandra and her mother I knew she would make a great fit for our program. I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do as a Panther."

Forehand Named All-MSAC

May 19. 2015

Tompkins Cortland Community College sophomore Ruthanne Forehand (Groton H.S./Groton) has been named to the Mid-State Athletic Conference all-conference softball team. Fifteen players were selected to the team. Voting was done by the coaches from the seven conference teams.

Forehand was TC3’s top pitcher and one of the team’s best hitters. She had five wins in the circle, including a one-hit shutout of Cayuga Community College on April 25. At the plate she hit .314 with a team-best three home runs. She drove in 21 runs, accounting for nearly 40% of the team’s RBI total, and her .529 slugging percentage was tops on the team.

It’s the 13th straight year TC3 has been represented on the all-conference team.

Panthers Ends Season on High Note

Sunday, May 03, 2015

The 2015 season came to a close on a high note for the Tompkins Cortland Community College softball team Sunday. The Panthers swept a doubleheader from SUNY Delhi, winning by scores of 9-1 and 12-4. The Panthers end the year with a record of 5-17.

GAME 1: TC3 9, Delhi 1 (5 innings, run rule)
The Panthers wasted little time taking control of game one. In the bottom of the first inning, Genesis Suarez (Liberty H.S./Liberty) led off by drawing a walk and eventually came around to score on a two-out double by Ruthanne Forehand (Groton H.S./Groton). After Forehand kept Delhi off the board again in the top of the second, the Panthers blew it open in the bottom of the frame. A walk and five hits, including a two-run double by Caitlin Serowik (Marathon H.S./Marathon) and a three-run home run by Forehand, helped the Panthers plate six runs to lead 7-0 after two innings.

While Forehand was keeping the Delhi bats silent, the Panthers loaded the bases in the bottom of the third, but couldn’t add to the lead. The visiting Broncos finally broke through in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of a TC3 error to score once, but a nice unassisted double play by shortstop Kayleigh Hotchkin (Lansing H.S./Lansing) ended the threat with the score 7-1. Two more TC3 runs in the bottom of the fourth followed by a scoreless top of the fifth for Delhi made the final score 9-1 in favor of the Panthers.

Forehand earned the win, allowing just one unearned run while scattering five hits and striking out two. She also starred at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, and four RBI. Ciara Tallman (Cortland H.S./Cortland) went 2-for-3 with a double as six different Panthers recorded at least one base hit.

GAME 2: TC3 12, Delhi 4
The second game followed a similar pattern as the first as TC3 jumped ahead early. In the top of the first, the first four Panthers to come to bat reached bases, with Forehand driving in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded single to start the scoring. One out later Victoria Morse (Newark Valley H.S./Ithaca) plated two more as TC3 jumped out to an early lead. By the time the top half of the inning ended, TC3 had plated five runs. The Panthers gave one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, committing three errors to help Delhi get on the board without recording a hit. The 5-1 score became 5-2 when the Broncos added a run in the second, but the fourth inning saw TC3 benefit from some sloppy play from Delhi by turning one walk and two errors into two runs to make the score 7-2 in the middle of the fourth inning.

In the fifth, Delhi scored twice to and had two runners on base, but Forehand came up big, inducing an infield pop-up and then striking out the final batter of the inning to hold the score at 7-4. In the sixth, Kailyn Andrews (Ithaca H.S./Ithaca) laced a two-out double down the line and then scored on a single by Morse, making it 8-4. After Forehand turned in a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning, TC3 sealed the win with a four-run seventh inning, led by Seychelle DeChellis (Lansing H.S./Lansing) stroking a two-run double. A single Delhi run in the bottom of the seventh made the final 12-4.
Suarez led the 11-hit attack by going 3-for-5. Andrews, DeChellis, and Morse each went 2-for-5, with Morse driving in four runs. Forehand earned the win in the circle, going all seven innings and allowing three earned runs and striking out four.

With the season over, the final season statistics show three Panthers finished the year with a batting average over .300. Andrews led the team in hitting at .338 followed by Rebecca Trexler (Altmar-Parish-Williamstown H.S./Parish) at .315 and Forehand at .314. Andrews led team with six of the team’s 15 doubles, and Forehand had three of the team’s four home runs. Forehand also was the team leader in runs batted in, finishing with 21 of the team’s 54 RBI. As a pitcher, Forehand earned all five of TC3’s wins, throwing 13 complete games among her 18 appearances.

Coaches–Women's Softball

Paige Freeman

Head Coach

Coach Freeman enters her second year at the helm of the TC3 softball program. She has been a part of the program since playing on the national championship season in 2009. As a freshman on that team, Freeman hit .384 with seven doubles and 22 RBI. As a sophomore she hit .305 with three homers and 21 RBI, and was named to the Region III All-Tournament team. She joined the coaching staff in 2011, helping guide the Panthers to regional titles and third-place finishes at nationals in both 2011 and 2012. She was promoted to Associate Head Coach for the 2013 season and named the Head Coach in 2014.

Contact: pef@tc3.edu, 607-844-8222, Ext.4409

Highlights–2009 Women's Softball

Panthers Open Region III Play with Sweep

Friday, April 10, 2009

A no-hitter by TC3 pitcher Lauren Dykeman (Union-Endicott H.S./Endicott) helped the TC3 softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Niagara County Community College as the Panthers opened Region III play Friday. The Panthers won the opener 13-1 in five innings before Dykeman's gem in the 9-1 win in game two. TC3 is now 6-6 overall and 2-0 in regional play. It was the season-opener for Niagara.

Playing for the first time since returning from the spring break trip to Florida three weeks ago, the Panthers took little time to get into a groove at the plate. Four first-inning runs were followed up by five runs in the second as TC3 took early control of game one. Brooke Wierzbicki (Vestal H.S./Vestal) led the 15-hit attack by going 4-for-4 with a double, a triple, two RBI, and two runs scored. Colleen Bannon (Vestal H.S./Vestal) went 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and a RBI. Danielle O'Rourke (Union-Endicott H.S./Endicott) went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two of the team's five stolen bases. Pitcher Megan Beschler (Thomas A. Edison H.S./Elmira Heights) earned the victory in the circle, striking out eight in five innings.

Dykeman was the star of game two, dominating the home team with a TC3-record 14 strikeouts. She walked three hitters and allowed one unearned run while earning her second win of the season. O'Rourke, Ashley Brown (Homer H.S./Cortland), and Paige Freeman (Thomas A. Edison H.S./Elmira Heights) each connected on two hits as part of the team's 10-hit attack. Brown and Megan Kraeger (South Lewis H.S./Constableville) each swiped a pair of bases as the Panthers again were aggressive on the base paths, stealing seven bases.